ProCon.org made the graphs and charts below using data from M. Watt Espy, Jr. and John Ortiz Smykla’s 32-year study of 15,269 executions performed from 1608-2002 under legal civil authority in the US, or within territories which later became part of the US.

The data begins with the first official American execution in 1608 when Captain George Kendall of the Jamestown colony was executed by firing squad for the crime of mutiny. The data ends in 2002 when the study was considered complete.

Espy and Smykla gathered data from state Department of Corrections records, newspapers, county histories, proceedings of state and local courts, holdings of historical societies, museums, and other listings of executions. The data were then broken down by 21 different variables such as race, age, jurisdiction, type of violation, crime committed, method of execution, day, month, and year of execution, order of execution, state where execution took place, year of statehood, gender, and occupation of the person executed.

The ESPY list is considered the most comprehensive one of its kind, yet it is still incomplete because some executions were not recorded at all, and some records may have been lost or destroyed over time. To view their list of executions in Microsoft Excel format, click on "Executions in the United States, 1608-2002: The ESPY File”.

The occupation of the executed individual was recorded in 7,555 (49.5%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002. All terminology used for occupations came directly from the original study, "Executions in the United States, 1608-2002: The ESPY File."

1. Slave - 1,748 (11.5%)

11.Criminal - 75

2. Laborer - 585(3.8%)

12.Pirate - 68

3.Farmhand - 369(2.4%)

13.Tenant Farmer - 67

4.Farmer - 347(2.2%)

14.Carpenter - 54

5.Farm Laborer - 168(1.1%)

15. Housewife - 50

6.Miner - 130

16. Truck Driver - 49

7.Soldier - 118

17.Cook - 47

8.Gangster - 110

18. Railroad Worker - 43

9. Seaman - 92

19. Freedman - 42

10.Tenant Farmer - 77

20.Ranch Hand - 39

Other Interesting Occupations of People Executed (in alphabetical order):

The race of the executed individual was recorded in 14,555 (95.3%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002.

Total Number of US Executions by Race from 1608-2002

Asian

Black

Hispanic

Native American

White

1608-1699

0

18

0

21

100

1700-1799

0

621

2

36

567

1800-1899

36

2,592

116

253

2,052

1900-2002

111

4,122

231

52

3,625

Totals:

147

7,353

349

362

6,344

(1.0%)

(50.5%)

(2.5%)

(2.5%)

(43.5%)

IV. Executions by Crime, 1608-2002

The crime committed by the executed individual was recorded in 14,810 (97.0%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002. All terminology used for type of crime committed came directly from the original study, "Executions in the United States, 1608-2002: The ESPY File."

The method of execution was recorded in 15,202 (99.6%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002.

Asphyxiation
(Gas)

Bludgeoned/
Broke
on Wheel

Burned

Electrocuted

Gibbeted/
Hanged in
Chains

Hanged

Injection

Pressing

Shot

1608-1649

0

0

0

0

0

27

0

0

2

1650-1699

0

0

1

0

0

114

0

1

12

1700-1749

0

10

35

0

12

317

0

0

0

1750-1799

0

3

22

0

2

929

0

0

19

1800-1849

0

1

8

0

0

1,435

1

0

33

1850-1899

0

0

0

58

0

3,781

0

0

44

1900-1949

372

0

0

3,564

0

2,677

0

0

25

1950-2002

221

0

0

803

1

44

620

0

8

Totals:

593

14

66

4,425

15

9,324

621

1

143

(4.0%)

(0.1%)

(0.4%)

(29.0%)

(0.1%)

(61.3%)

(4.1%)

(0.0%)

(1.0%)

Asphyxiation (Gas): Placed into an air tight chamber and made to breath poisionous gas until death occurs.Bludgeoned / Broke on Wheel: Beaten by a short, heavy club, usually made of wood and/or tied down to a wooden wheel or cross and, through beating or other force, having ones body parts broken through the gaps until death occurs.Burned: Burned to death. Electrocuted: Strapped to a chair and have electricity pulsed into the body until death occurs.Gibbeted / Hanged in Chains: Executed and hanged in public with the body left to hang on a post (known as a gibbet) in public view. Sometimes the body was placed inside a metal cage or chains, and left hanging in public for an extended period of time as it decomposed.Hanged: Tie a rope around the neck of an individual and hang them from an object until death occurs.Injection: Strapped down to a table or chair and have a lethal substance injected into the veins.Pressing: Pressed between two heavy objects until death occurs.Shot: Executed by gunfire.

VI. Executions by Method, 1900-1999

The method of execution was recorded in 8,141 (100%) of US executions between 1900 and 1999.

The below chart contains the categories of "hanged in chains" and "shot," which were not included on the line graph above because those numbers were too small to be visible.

Asphyxiation (Gas)

Electrocution

Hanging

Hanged in Chains

Injection

Shot

1900-1909

0

132

1,146

0

0

2

1910-1919

0

484

601

1

0

9

1920-1929

2

823

456

0

0

8

1930-1939

114

1,206

357

0

0

2

1940-1949

256

919

117

0

0

4

1950-1959

149

540

30

0

0

5

1960-1969

61

119

11

0

0

1

1970-1979

1

1

0

0

0

1

1980-1989

4

71

0

0

42

0

1990-1999

6

66

3

0

390

1

Totals:

593

4,361

2,721

1

432

33

(7.3%)

(53.6%)

(33.4%)

(0.0%)

(5.3%)

(0.4%)

VII. Executions by Age, 1608-2002

The age of the executed individual was recorded in 7,311 (47.9%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002.

10 to 19 *

20 to 29

30 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

60 to 69

70 to 79

80 to 89

578

3,218

2,011

984

381

112

25

2

(8.0%)

(44%)

(27.5%)

(13.5%)

(5.2%)

(1.5%)

(0.3%)

(0.0%)

* Of the 578 people aged 10-19 who were executed the breakdown is as follows: age 10 (0), age 11 (0), age 12 (3), age 13 (3), age 14 (9), age 15 (6), age 16 (38), age 17 (100), age 18 (175), age 19 (244).

VIII. Executions by Gender, 1608-2002

The gender of the executed individual was recorded in 15,118 (99.0%) of the 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002.

1608-1649

1650-1699

1700-1749

1750-1799

1800-1849

1850-1899

1900-1949

1950-2002

Totals

Female

9

33

32

68

92

83

30

18

365

(2.4%)

Male

20

100

338

911

1,346

3,750

6,609

1,679

14,753

(97.6%)

IX. Executions by State & Year, 1608-2002

The state in which the individual was executed was recorded in all 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002. States are listed in order of the most executions down to the lowest number of executions.

The time periods in this table are broken down as follows: 17th century (1608-1699); 18th century (1700-1799); early 19th century to the end of the Civil War (1800-1865); 19th century after Civil War (1866-1899); early 20th century ending in 1935, the year the largest number of US executions occurred (1900-1935); mid-20th century to 1972, the year the Furman vs. Georgia decision placed a moratorium on the death penalty (1935-1972); post-1972, in 1976 the US Supreme Court re-affirmed the constitutionality of the death penalty (1973-1991); and late 20th century to 2002, in 1993 the US Supreme Court ruled in Herrera v. Collins that a death-row inmate is not ordinarily entitled to relief where a claim of innonence is based on newly discovered evidence, unless the claim also includes an independent constitutional violation (1992-2002)

1608-1699

1700-1799

1800-1865

1866-1899

1900-1935

1936-1972

1973-1991

1992-2002

Total

1. Virginia

10

386

481

96

223

81

11

73

1,361

2. New York

8

167

156

155

408

236

0

0

1,130

3. Pennsylvania

1

202

108

185

443

101

0

3

1,043

4. Texas

0

0

41

221

258

235

38

238

1,031

5. Georgia

0

18

84

223

343

282

14

12

976

6. North Carolina

0

131

133

112

207

201

3

16

803

7. Alabama

0

0

262

133

197

116

8

17

733

8. California

0

5

111

127

239

227

0

10

719

9. South Carolina

0

93

127

143

165

113

3

24

668

10.Louisiana

0

61

142

135

204

90

19

7

658

11. Arkansas

0

0

29

202

158

89

2

22

502

12.Ohio

0

1

44

85

188

120

0

5

443

13. Kentucky

0

8

122

92

123

79

0

2

426

14. Florida

0

0

16

30

118

150

26

27

367

15. New Jersey

8

76

35

55

143

44

0

0

361

16. Illinois

0

1

50

93

157

47

1

11

360

17. Mississippi

0

0

26

81

128

116

4

2

357

18. Massachusetts

99

102

55

24

49

16

0

0

345

19. Missouri

0

0

49

126

66

44

5

50

340

20. Tennessee

0

4

69

83

101

78

0

0

335

21. Maryland

15

43

65

74

55

57

0

3

312

22. Oklahoma

0

0

3

36

62

31

1

50

183

23. West Virginia

0

6

37

21

63

28

0

0

155

24. Indiana

0

0

33

26

41

31

2

7

140

25. Arizona

0

0

1

25

46

32

0

22

126

26. Connecticut

12

16

17

16

46

19

0

0

126

27. Oregon

0

0

21

33

50

18

0

2

124

28. DC

0

0

12

28

47

31

0

0

118

29. Washington

0

0

3

20

46

36

0

4

109

30. Colorado

0

0

6

30

37

28

0

1

102

31. Deleware

2

8

7

20

18

7

0

13

75

32. Montana

0

0

1

31

36

3

0

2

73

33. Nevada

0

0

3

17

18

23

5

7

73

34. New Mexico

0

0

9

30

28

6

0

0

73

35. Minnesota

0

0

42

17

7

0

0

0

66

36. Kansas

0

0

7

9

1

40

0

0

57

37. Rhode Island

4

44

4

0

0

0

0

0

52

38. Hawaii

0

0

1

6

37

5

0

0

49

39. Utah

0

0

5

7

18

13

3

3

49

40. Iowa

0

0

9

4

17

15

0

0

45

41. Nebraska

0

0

0

14

16

4

0

0

34

42. Idaho

0

0

3

14

6

3

0

1

27

43. Vermont

0

1

6

11

5

3

0

0

26

44.New Hampshire

0

6

5

10

2

1

0

0

24

45. Wyoming

0

0

0

6

11

5

0

1

23

46. Maine

1

7

7

6

0

0

0

0

21

47. South Dakota

0

0

0

9

5

1

0

0

15

48. Michigan

2

5

5

0

0

1

0

0

13

49.Alaska

0

0

0

4

5

3

0

0

12

50. North Dakota

0

0

0

3

5

0

0

0

8

51. Wisconsin

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

Totals:

162

1,391

2,453

2,928

4,646

2,909

145

635

15,269

1608-1699

1700-1799

1800-1865

1866-1899

1900-1935

1936-1972

1973-1991

1992-2002

X. Executions by State & Race, 1608-2002

The state in which the individual was executed in was recorded in all 15,269 US executions between 1608 and 2002. States are listed in order of the most executions down to the lowest number of executions.